Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Graphic
- oppressive
- disturbing
- melancholic
- serious arthouse viewing
- late night horror
What critics said
Critics broadly agree that the film is visually masterful, formally unconventional, and powerfully performed, but its explicit violence and symbolism make it deeply polarizing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The couple’s sexualized cruelty and bodily suffering turn grief, guilt, and metaphysical dread into graphic visual motifs.
The couple retreat to the isolated cabin called Eden, where the woods intensify their fear and emotional unraveling.
The child’s death drives the mother’s depression and the therapist husband’s increasingly destructive attempt to control her recovery.
A prologue, four chapters, and an epilogue structure the couple’s movement from bereavement into escalating cruelty.
Films like Antichrist, and why
The Shining
psychological horror, marital collapse, grief, and disturbing symbolic imagery
Possession
arthouse horror, intimate domestic dread, sexual violence, and intense psychological deterioration
Crash
controversial erotic thriller, transgressive sexuality, and emotionally extreme performances
The Lighthouse
symbolic psychological horror, nature as an oppressive force, and bleak metaphysical themes
Movie Details
- Director
- Lars von Trier
- Release Date
- 2009-05-20
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (2925)
Cast
- Willem Dafoe
- Charlotte Gainsbourg
- Storm Acheche Sahlstrøm
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- MUBI
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Antichrist about?
- A grieving couple retreat to an isolated forest cabin, where therapy, sexuality, and fear mutate into a punishing descent through grief and the darker meanings of nature.
- What is Antichrist like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Antichrist as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Antichrist violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Antichrist as graphic.
- What did critics think of Antichrist?
- Critics broadly agree that the film is visually masterful, formally unconventional, and powerfully performed, but its explicit violence and symbolism make it deeply polarizing.
- Which films are like Antichrist?
- Films with a similar feel include The Shining, Possession, Crash, and The Lighthouse.
- How long is Antichrist?
- Antichrist runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch Antichrist?
- In United States, Antichrist streams on MUBI.
